Top Searches:

Dhanraj Pillay: India playing laptop hockey, skill level down

India's World Cup preparations aren't really on the right track as such, with key players getting injured and the team losing matches it should have won; and when stalwarts like Dhanraj Pillay say that the "skill level in Indian hockey has gone down", the overall situation perhaps becomes a matter of concern, as far as the future of Indian hockey is concerned.

| TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Updated: Oct 11, 2018, 11:44 IST

Highlights

"Hockey has changed a lot. What we played was skillful hockey, but today that's not the case," said Pillay.

Pillay feels it's going to be very tough for India at the upcoming 16-team World Cup.

"Former captain Sardar Singh still perhaps had a role to play," said Pillay.

BHUBANESWAR: India's World Cup preparations aren't really on the right track as such, with key players getting injured and the team losing matches it should have won; and when stalwarts like Dhanraj Pillay say that the "skill level in Indian hockey has gone down", the overall situation perhaps becomes a matter of concern, as far as the future of Indian hockey is concerned.

The FIH Men's Hockey World Cup will be played here at the Kalinga Stadium from November 28, but India's failure to reach the Commonwealth Games final and then the team falling apart in its defence of the Asian Games gold delivered a blow to the team's hopes. On top of it, injuries to key players SV Sunil and Ramandeep Singh have meant the alarm bells are ringing very loudly.

"Hockey has changed a lot. What we played (in our era) was skillful hockey, but today that's not the case," said Dhanraj Pillay, the four-time Olympic, World Cup and Asian Games veteran, talking to reporters on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Kalinga Stadium here on Wednesday.

Chief Minister of Odisha with Dhanraj Pillay and players of team Dilip Tirkey. (TOI Photo)

Pillay and his former team-mate Dilip Tirkey led teams of former and current players in an exhibition match to mark the occasion.

"As far as fitness levels are concerned, we are at par with teams like Australia, but you don't see the kind of skill there was in hockey before, the level has come down," the 50-year-old former Indian captain said.

To give an example, he mentioned ex-India striker Deepak Thakur, who scored both the goals for the Dilip Tirkey XI in the exhibition match, helping them win 2-1.

"See Deepak Thakur, he was at the right place to score those goals," Pillay pointed out. "Now the game has become mechanical, it's laptop hockey. We are adapting to it, but how successful it will be for us, I can't say."

And he further explained.

"Fast-changing substitutes every 4-5 minutes is something that never happened at our time. I feel a player takes some time to settle down once he is on the pitch, but today I see players looking over their shoulder after every five minutes on the field to be substituted," the 1999 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award winner said.

Pillay feels it's going to be very tough for India at the upcoming 16-team World Cup, adding that former captain Sardar Singh still perhaps had a role to play.

Sardar announced his retirement from international hockey last month after he was dropped from the list of probables for the Asian Champions Trophy.

"Sardar could have played this World Cup. In the Asian Games, he made just three mistakes in the match (semi-final against Malaysia). If Dhanraj can play his last Olympics at 37, Sardar, at 31-32, certainly could (have played the coming World Cup). Harendra Singh (coach) knows how to best utilise Sardar, but for some reason he chose to retire," he said without elaborating further.

In the end, Pillay had a piece of advice for the current crop of Indian players, playing hockey in the age of social media.

"I would advise today's players to not read any news stories during tournaments. Both positive and negative news can affect a player's focus and game. So, it's my request to them to stay away from social media - things like Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, etc.," he said.

India's next assignment will be the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat, Oman, later this month before they assemble in Bhubaneswar for the World Cup. A tournament India has won only once, way back in 1975.

All Comments ()+^ Back to Top

Characters Remaining: 3000

Continue without login

or

Login from existing account

FacebookGoogleEmail

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive. Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.